Friends, Lovers, or Nothing
by kbraven52
Summary: Rachel and Quinn arrive at Julliard to start the journey of achieving their lifelong dreams. But the meeting of one boy will result in jealousy, love, and secrets. Rating will probably change.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Rachel and Quinn arrive at Julliard to start the journey towards their lifelong dreams. But the meeting of one boy will result in jealousy, love, and secrets.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or it's characters, unfortunately.**

* * *

Friends, Lovers, or Nothing

Starting her freshman year at the prestigious Julliard, Rachel felt like she was in heaven. It had been her life long dream since she was little to attend the school responsible for the rise of such Broadway legends as Patti Lupone and Audra McDonald. She didn't even consider any other schools when applying for college. Julliard was it for her. Her excitement only enhanced when she found that they were actually going to offer her a scholarship. Of course, leaving her two devoted dad's was hard, but they supported her more than anyone. They pushed her to go for her goals and not let anyone stand in her way. They always told her she could achieve anything her heart desires.

So here she is on move in day. First time college students are required to live on-campus in the Merideth Willson Residence Hall and are always assigned to a double room. Musicians sometimes share rooms with dancers, actors with musicians, and dancers with actors — providing spontaneous, informal opportunities for deepening an understanding of each other's interests. But fortunately, Rachel will be rooming with her hometown best friend, Quinn Fabray.

Quinn was a truly exquisite dancer. Though she also sang a little bit, her true love was always dance. Her and Rachel actually attended the same high school, becoming friends their sophomore year. Connecting through their dreams of Julliard, they became inseparable. But despite some of their similarities, Quinn and Rachel could not be more different. While Rachel was solely focused on her singing, Quinn tended to be distracted from her dancing by boys. Sure, Rachel would have liked to have a boyfriend, but no boy seemed to understand her intense drive for stardom. Quinn, on the other hand, had three semi-serious relationships in high school. Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman, and Sam Evans. Rachel had to admit, Finn kind of caught her eye, but she soon questioned her judgement in men when she found out how dense he was. It was as if every word she said to him went right from one ear and out the other.

There was only one boy that she was serious with. Her and Greg were originally very good friends who sort of blossomed into lovers. Although she always felt he liked her more than she liked him, she was comfortable in that relationship. They had fun together and he supported her dreams. After dating for a few months, Rachel decided to end things. Greg wanted to take things to the next level, which led to her admitting she didn't love him. It broke his heart, in turn, breaking hers. She loved him as a friend, just not in _that_ way. They said they would remain good friends, but of course everything changed. He started to push her away and she just put more focus on her future.

Nevertheless, here she is, about to start on her journey to Broadway. It was a thrill to be surrounded by students who had the drive and talent she possessed. She couldn't wait to start meeting new people and taking constructive classes.

"Rachel!," Quinn yelled, pulling Rachel out of her reverie. "Can you help me here?"

Rachel looked away from the skyscrapers surrounding her and directed her sight to Quinn. She seemed to be struggling with their luggage.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just...look at it Quinn. We're finally here. _Julliard," _she put emphasis on the last word, still in complete awe that she was there.

"I know. I can't believe it," she states, while looking at their surroundings. "But we can enjoy it even more when we are all moved in." She pushes a suitcase into Rachel's hand and motions toward their dorm entrance.

* * *

"That's the last of it," Rachel exhaled, completely exhausted from carrying their heavy bags. She turned to Quinn whose face was graced with a huge grin.

"This is so exciting, Rach. Let's go meet our floormates," she exclaimed. Quinn grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her into the hallway. Most people were moved in already, therefore, the halls were mostly quiet. Quinn knocked on the door next to theirs, excitedly bouncing up and down. The door opened a moment later.

"Hi! We're your neighbors, we just wanted to introduce ourselves. I'm Quinn."

Rachel waved, "And I'm Rachel."

"Hey! I'm Emily and this is my roommate Sarah," she said, gesturing to a blonde sitting in front of her computer. "It's nice to meet you. So where are you girls from?"

"Lima, Ohio. We both went to the same high school," Rachel said. "How about you?"

"Oh, well I'm from Jersey, Sarah is from Georgia. We're both dancers." Emily replied, a hint of cockiness in her voice.

"I'm a dancer too. Maybe we'll have some classes together," Quinn said enthusiastically. Rachel told the girls she was a singer, but also looked to study acting as well. After some more small talk and getting to know each other better, Sarah informed them of a party happening tonight.

"Do you guys want to go?" she asked.

"Oh my gosh, yes! Count me in." Quinn turned to Rachel, waiting for a response. In all honesty, Rachel wasn't a huge partier. She didn't really understand the appeal of getting wasted and making out with people you don't know. She usually went out with Quinn and their friends when they were in high school, but she actually preferred staying in.

"I actually really want to get situated here first. I'll join you girls next time, I promise." Rachel looked to Quinn.

"Come on, Rach. This is our first night here. We can go meet people, maybe meet a boy..." Quinn nudged Rachel.

Emily butted in, "It's okay. You just moved in, I'm sure your pretty tired. You have all year to come out with us." She gave Rachel a small smile.

* * *

Quinn stayed and got the information on when they were leaving and where they were going. Rachel decided to continue on back to their room. She unzipped her first suitcase, meeting a picture gracing the top of her clothes. It was of her and her dads on graduation day. She lifted the picture, tears threatening to leave her eyes.

"Are you really not going to come with me to our first college party?" Quinn said, startling Rachel from her thoughts. She set the picture on her desk carefully, examining it with a smile.

"I just want to get comfortable in my room first, Quinn. Like Emily said, we have all year to go out."

"I just don't want to leave you alone on our first night here," Quinn proceeded to cross the room and bring Rachel into a hug. "I'm so happy we're here. We're on our way, Rach!" Rachel grinned, holding Quinn tighter.

"I know. I'm so glad your here with me. At least you being my roommate makes things a little easier to adjust to."

"Yeah, thank god." Quinn turned to her suitcase, searching for the zipper. "Okay, so if your not going out with me, you better help me pick out an outfit to impress."

"You hate the way I dress. Why would you want my help?" Rachel laughed.

"Very true. That reminds me. We might want to go shopping soon to spice up your wardrobe. No offense, but no college boy is going to hit on you unless we make some changes." Quinn eyed Rachel up and down, examining her current outfit of knee high socks, skirt, and arglye sweater.

"I happen to like my wardrobe, thank you very much. I don't want to be like everyone else. I'm unique, which is part of the formula for becoming a star."

Quinn rolled her eyes and lauged, "Fine." She glanced towards the mirror and released her hair from the tight bun on top of her head. Running her hands through her hair, she wandered over to her computer and opened her itunes."I need some music to get me ready for some fun tonight."

Rachel listened as Quinn's computer blared out the sounds of Lady Gaga. She smiled to herself. She figured she better get used to this.

* * *

The next morning, Rachel arises at 9 a.m. She looks over to Quinn, sprawled on her bed in the same clothes she went out in last night. Figuring Quinn wouldn't be up for a while, Rachel decided to take a shower and grab some breakfast.

When she gets back, Rachel expects to find Quinn still asleep. She isn't prepared for the sight of her roommate hanging her head over their trash can.

"Oh my god Quinn, are you okay?" Rachel said, rushing over to her best friend.

Quinn moaned "Ughhhh, I think I drank too much last night."

"That seems like a little bit of an understatement," Rachel replies, her hands holding the blondes hair out of her face. Quinn looked up at Rachel, a spark lighting her eyes. "What?"

"I met a guy last night," Quinn grinned.

"Oh yeah? Is he the reason you drank so much? A little liquid courage?" Rachel teased.

"You are so annoying sometimes, Rachel," Quinn said, sitting up. "I didn't need any courage to talk to him, I would have done it anyway."

"So tell me about him then," Rachel pressed.

"Oh my gosh, Rach, he is SO gorgeous. It's almost hard to look at him. Blue eyes, slightly curly hair – perfect to grab onto," she says with a wink. Rachel rolls her eyes amusedly. "He's a sophmore and is actually a singer and actor like you. But he's mine!" Quinn points to Rachel to emphasize her claim.

Rachel puts her hands up in surrender, thinking to herself how childish Quinn acts when she's either drunk or hungover.

"I haven't even said anything," Rachel jokes.

"God, I want him so bad," she whines. "But I did end up getting his number," she grinned. "He said that we should hang out sometime."

"So you didn't sleep with him, right?"

"Unfortunately, no. But we talked a lot. I'm not gonna lie, he's a little arrogant, but I think that's what makes me so attracted to him."

"Well, I'm proud of you Quinn. That would have been very self-degrading to sleep with the first college guy you met."

"Oh, I plan to fuck him. Last night just didn't work out. I drank a little too much and he had to leave," Quinn pointed out. "I'm planning on calling him later tonight."

"_Quinn_. We have our first classes tomorrow. You can't go out again tonight."

"Oh yeah," she giggled.

Rachel sighed, "Maybe you should just rest for the remainder of the day. You obviously are still somewhat drunk." Quinn glared at her.

"I guess your right. I want to make a good impression on my first day of school tomorrow," Quinn started to stand and layed herself upon her bed.

"Good idea. But before you rest, I need to know this mystery guy's name," Rachel prodded.

Quinn smiled, her eyes shut as she relaxed against her pillow. "Jesse," she exhaled.

* * *

**This is totally St. Berry. I just gotta add some drama, so it's in the form of Quinn :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**The introduction of Jesse :) **

**Disclaimer: Do not own Glee**

* * *

Rachel hears Quinn's voice travel down the hall, "Okay, I'll see you on Wednesday then? Great, bye!"

Quinn enters their room with giddy excitement, her face positively glowing. Rachel couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm guessing your first day went well?"

"I'm having lunch with Jesse on Wednesday!" Quinn exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"I thought you were gonna wait until the weekend?" Rachel asked.

"I couldn't allow him any time to forget about me. What does it matter, anyway? He agreed to have lunch!" She walked to her bed, setting down her bag. "Aren't you excited for me?"

"Of course, Quinn. I just think you should get through the first week of school before you focus all your attention on this boy," Rachel reasoned.

"It's just lunch. And he doesn't have all my attention, Rach."

Rachel decides against arguing with her anymore. Instead she changes the subject. "So how was your first day?"

"It was good. I actually have a few classes with Emily and Sarah which is great. How about you?

Rachel grinned, "I absolutely love it here. I'm so excited to just get started, you know?"

"Of course. So did you actually sing anything today?"

"Unfortunately, no. We were introduced to our instructors and given information. That's about it. But they said we would be tomorrow."

"Yeah, we didn't dance either. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous to dance among all these people who could potentially be as good or better than me. What if I just don't measure up?" Quinn casts her eyes down.

"You can't think like that, Quinn. We'll do great. I'm nervous too, but there is not doubt in my mind that we want this just as much or more as everyone else here."

"Your right. It just really hit me that this is the start of our future. I can't mess this up."

"You won't." Rachel assured.

* * *

After their second day of classes, both Quinn and Rachel felt their nerves double. The instructors seemed to critique every little detail in what you did. They also liked to make a point in telling everyone that although they might have been the best dancer or singer in their hometown, things were different here. It was no wonder you have to have tough skin to make it in show business.

* * *

Finally, it was Wednesday. Rachel was attempting to help Quinn get ready for her 'date.'

"I think it's best to just wear a pair of jeans and cute shirt, you agree?" Quinn asked, holding a shirt up to her chest.

"Yeah, I mean, you don't want to look like your trying too hard."

"But I want him to know that I'm interested. I don't want him to think I just want to be friends."

"I think he knows your interested," Rachel laughs, "Or else you wouldn't have called him to go out."

"Whatever. I just want it to be perfect."

After spending an hour getting ready, Quinn looks in the mirror and pushes a stray hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I'm ready. Wish me luck!" Rachel walks over and pulls her into a quick hug.

"Good luck."

Shutting the door behind Quinn, Rachel looks back to their empty room. She decides to head over to the practice rooms to run over the techniques her instructors advised her to do. Once she arrives, she hesitates to enter upon seeing another student practicing. She opens the auditorium doors slowly, hoping to not disrupt. Rachel is shocked to hear the girls beautiful voice echo throughout the room. She is singing Celine Dion's 'Power of Love,' one of Rachel's all time favorite songs.

_'Whenever you reach for me, I'm gonna do all that I can. We're heading for something, somewhere I've never been...'_

Rachel felt goosebumps spread across her skin. When she finished, Rachel held her breath in fear of being noticed.

"Can I help you?"

Her eyes wide, Rachel scanned the room in hope that the girl was speaking to someone else.

"I saw you walk in a moment ago. Is there something I can help you with?"

Rachel walked out of the shadows hesitantly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you, I just came here hoping to be able to practice. I'll just be going." She turned to leave.

"Well I'm just finishing up. The place is yours." The girl grabbed her folder and bag heading down the stage stairs. "I'm Lauren, by the way."

Rachel smiled, "I'm Rachel, nice to meet you. You have an amazing voice," she said, gesturing to the stage.

"Thanks. Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before."

"Yes. I'm a freshman. I'm a singer also."

"Oh really?" Lauren gave Rachel a once-over. "So how do you like it so far?"

"I love it. It's pretty intense, but I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm ready to do everything I have to in order to get better."

"That's good. You need that attitude to succeed here." Lauren looks at the clock on the far wall. "Look, I have to get going, but if you ever need any help or want an honest opinion, let me know." She reaches in her folder, pulling out a piece of paper, and her bag for a pen. "Here's my number. I'm a junior so I know what your going through. So don't hesitat to call." She hands Rachel the strip of paper.

"Thank you so much. This means a lot." Rachel gives her a warm smile.

"No problem. Good luck, Rachel." Lauren smiles and turns to exit the auditorium.

Rachel focuses her attention towards the stage. The spotlight raining down across every inch of the floor. This is where she belongs. This is her home.

* * *

Arriving home a few hours later, Rachel feels great. She only hopes that Quinn's lunch went well also.

She opens their door and see's Quinn sitting in front of her computer. Walking into the room, Rachel has a hard time pinpointing the look on her face.

"So..." she says, her voice close to a whisper. Immediately, Quinn's face breaks out in a grin.

"It went amazing!" she says excitedly. "And guess what? I'm seeing him again this weekend, which means your going to meet him!"

"That's great, Quinn. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you! This is so great. His friends are throwing a party this weekend at their house. Maybe we can set you up with one of them."

"Or we can just go and have a good time," Rachel offers.

"Come on, Rach. You need to let loose and have some fun."

"I will. But that doesn't mean I need a boy to do it. I'm just focused on my goals right now. What's wrong with that?"

"You haven't been serious with someone since Greg. You need some lovin'," Quinn says.

Rachel laughs, "You did not just say that."

"Okay, okay, fine. I won't try and set you up. But you will come to the party, right?"

"Yes, of course. It'll be fun."

* * *

After a hard first week of classes, Rachel admits that she needs a little bit of fun. All of the hard work and practice she was putting in was exhausting.

She actually allows Quinn to pick out her outfit for the party, and they continue to get ready together. As they walk with Emily and Sarah over to the house, Rachel starts to get kind of excited. This was her first real college party. Hopefully she would be able to meet some new friends and enjoy herself.

The house is crowded as they enter. Quinn recognizes someone who she introduces as Paul, one of the owners of the house, and gestures over to Emily, Sarah, and Rachel. After the common introductions, they head downstairs to where the keg is. Taking in her surrounding environment, Rachel takes a deep breath. Music is vibrating throughout her body as she is enclosed in an enormous crowd of people bunched together. All of a sudden Rachel feels Quinn pull at her arm, guiding her towards Emily and Sarah. Waiting in line near the keg with a red cup in hand, the girls talk amongst themselves while scanning the basement.

"Rach," Quinn says, moving closer to her friend.

"Yeah?," Rachel breathes.

"That's him," she says nodding her head to the left. Rachel looks over to be met with the sight of Quinn's mystery boy, Jesse. The only thing she can think is that Quinn definitely was being modest when describing his looks. He was possibly the most gorgeous boy Rachel had ever seen.

But her thoughts were quickly dissipated when she saw Quinn glide over to him. Jesse smiled and pulled Quinn into a hug. As she whispered something into his ear, his eyes seemed to settle on Rachel. She immediately looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks. Looking back, she sees Quinn waving for her to come over.

"Rachel! This is Jesse, Jesse this is Rachel," Quinn yelled, in order to be heard over the music. Jesse raised his hand to Rachel.

"I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet," he said, his blue eyes meeting hers.

"Likewise," she says, ignoring the look of anger Quinn is sending her way. Rachel cursed her big mouth. _Of course Jesse didn't know Quinn was talking about him non-stop since they met._ Jesse smiles over at Quinn, her face a bright red.

Quinn speaks up, "I told Rachel how you were a singer as well." Jesse nods.

"So Rachel, how are you liking your classes so far?" Jesse puts his gaze back on Rachel.

"I'm really enjoying them. It's hard to hear the criticism, but I'm learning a lot." She feels comfortable with her answer, considering the butterflies overcoming her stomach.

"Don't let the criticism get to you too much," he says in a smooth voice. "But I don't see any need to worry, you seem pretty confident in your ability. That's good." Rachel smiles.

"Rachel, Jesse went to high school here in New York. How lucky, right?" Quinn says.

"Really? I would have given anything to grow up in the city. Did you sing at your high school?" Rachel questioned.

"Yeah, I actually participated in my glee club. We won four National titles, maybe you heard of us – Vocal Adrenaline?" he says with a sexy smirk. Rachel's jaw drops as realization hits her. _No freaking way. _

"Oh my god, your Jesse St. James," Rachel says, eyes wide. Quinn gives her a look, clearly confused. "I am such a huge fan. I can't believe I didn't recognize you. I used to watch Vocal Adrenaline videos of you guys at Nationals."

"Well I'm sure the videos weren't the best, I doubt you can capture the quality of our performances unless you see it live," he shrugs.

"Nevertheless, you guys were absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, Quinn and I's glee club didn't make it to Nationals until our senior year. But we ended up winning as well," Rachel beams with pride.

"That's what I hear. A belated congrats," he says.

"Thanks," Rachel grins.

"Maybe we could sing together sometime. There's this little pub down the street that has karaoke on Thursday nights. Most of the people are awful, but it can be fun," he says. Quinn squeezes his arm, drawing his attention from Rachel to her. "That sounds great. We could sing together, too," she smiles.

"Yeah, of course."

Just then, Jesse looks over Rachel's shoulder and waves to a friend, "Ladies, if you will excuse me, one of my friends just arrived. I'll talk to you later?," He turns his attention to Rachel and smiles. "It was nice meeting you, Rachel."

As he walks away, Quinn takes a few steps towards her roommate, "So? What do you think? Isn't he amazing?" she asks. Rachel gives her a smile, showface firmly in place.

"Yes, he's great, Quinn." Quinn grins and moves to join in the conversation Emily and some other girls are having. This leaves Rachel to deal with the all-consuming realization that she really does think he's great. Maybe too great.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Review if you like :)**


	3. Chapter 3

As it got later into the night, Rachel found herself sitting on the couch in the corner of the basement. Taking this moment to observe the room, she see's Emily and Sarah backed against a wall by two boys and Quinn talking to one of her dance classmates. All of her friends are pretty drunk. Not being a huge drinker, Rachel is very much aware of everything going on around her. She continues to sit and nurse her cup, her gaze casting towards the students dancing at the far end of the room.

"Hey, you," Rachel is startled when she feels and hears a breathy voice near her ear.

"J-Jesse, hi," He goes to sit down next to her, causing Rachel's heart to speed up.

"What are you doing sitting here by yourself?" he asks, relaxing against the couch, his gaze firmly on her.

Noticing he's a little tipsy, she tries to just be calm, "Um, nothing. Just taking a break."

"So parties aren't really your thing, huh?"

"Why would you say that. I like parties."

He gives her a soft smile, "Sure you do."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, "I do. You just met me. How would you know?"

"Relax, Quinn just told me you weren't a big partier," he chuckled a little.

"Oh. Well, yes, I'm not a hard core partier like a lot of people here. But I'm not a prude." She crosses her arms.

"I never said you were."

The way he was looking at her made Rachel quickly cast her eyes back to the drink in her hand. She really didn't think she should be talking to the boy Quinn wanted. Especially when Rachel felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she looked at him.

All of a sudden Jesse stood, leaving Rachel with the sad feeling that he was going to leave. But instead he turned to her.

"Let's dance."

"W-what? No, that's okay," She said, voice shaky. Rachel stole a quick glance at the other students dancing. They were practically grinding on each other. She felt her face start to heat up.

"Come on. You aren't doing anything. Dance with me."

She immediately thought of Quinn, "I don't think its a good idea, Jesse."

"Why? It's fun."

Rachel had a million reasons in her head on why she shouldn't do this. But they were all erased as she made eye contact. "Fine, one dance."

Taking her hand in his, Jesse led Rachel to the dance floor. She tried to suppress a smile at the way his hand felt gripping hers. As they reached the dance floor, Jesse manuevered his way through the throngs of people in order to get towards the center. Finally reaching their destination, Jesse twirled Rachel to where her back was leaning against his chest. He started to move his body to the beat of the music, hands firmly placed on her hips.

"Your so tense, just relax," he whispered in her ear.

Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Gradually, she felt herself start to gain more confidence and reciprocate Jesse's movements. She unconciously found herself resting her hands over his. After a while, Rachel flinched as she felt Jesse's hands run up and down her arms and wrap them around his neck. She could feel his hot breath against her neck, sending a wave of desire running through her. His hands returned to her hips, lightly grazing the exposed skin where her shirt was riding up.

Rather than her promised one dance, Rachel continued to dance with Jesse through a collection of songs. She couldn't believe this was happening. She shouldn't be doing this. Even though they weren't dating, Quinn really liked Jesse. Rachel has had to listen to her rant about him all throughout their first week of school. Her thoughts are temporarily interrupted as she feels Jesse's lips find her neck. Rachel feels like she's on fire. Unable to take it anymore, she pulls quickly away from him. Jesse is staring at her, questioning in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jesse. I have to go," she turns to walk away. Jesse grasps her hand, stopping her progress.

"Rachel, are you okay? I thought-"

"Yes. I just—I can't do this. It's complicated," she turns to leave again but stops and faces him once more. "Thank you for the dance." She smiles, and she's relieved to see him return it. He walks closer and leans down, lightly kissing her cheek.

"What do you say about getting together sometime and practicing some songs?"

"I don't know, I-"

"How about I give you my number, and you can either delete it or call me when you want some singing feedback?"

The look on his face was so adorable, Rachel found herself handing him her phone wordlessly. While he was punching his number into her phone, she cast her eyes around the basement in search of Quinn.

Handing Rachel her phone back, Jesse sent her a sexy grin.

"Bye, Rachel."

"Bye," she answered breathlessly.

Watching him walk away, Rachel took a deep breath. She looked down to her watch, noticing in shock that it was almost four in the morning. Rachel walked across the room looking for either Quinn, Sarah or Emily. She headed upstairs after concluding that they were no longer in the basement.

"Rachel! Where have you been?" Quinn stumbled over to her friend, red cup in hand.

"Hey. I was downstairs. It's really late Quinn, I think we should get going."

"What time is it?"

"Almost four."

"Oh my god, yeah we should go."

Rachel wrapped her arm around Quinn's waist, in fear of her friends ability to walk.

"Where are Emily and Sarah?" Rachel asked.

"Right there," Quinn said, pointing to the two girls playing beer pong.

As they all walked out of the party, Quinn, Emily, and Sarah all could not stop laughing. Rachel drowned out their laughing with images of her dancing with Jesse. The way his hands felt on her skin, and the way her body reacted to him. She glanced to Quinn and felt guilt fully consume her.

The taxi ride back to their dorm felt so long. All the girls had trouble not falling asleep in the cab. Clamboring into their rooms, Quinn and Rachel both collapsed on their beds. Quinn immediately fell asleep, leaving Rachel to enjoy the silence. Getting up to quickly change into her pajamas and brush her teeth, she finally settled back into her bed.

Grabbing her phone off her side dresser, Rachel went to her contacts and located Jesse's number. Her thumb hovered over the delete button. She looked over to Quinn, contemplating what to do. Knowing she will probably regret it, Rachel flipped her phone shut, threw it on her dresser and shut her eyes. She could always delete tomorrow.

* * *

Sorry for such a long wait. I'm back at school so I have practically no time to do anything.

And I'm still waiting for the confirmation Jesse's coming back! Hopefully it's soon, I need more JGroff in my life :)


	4. Chapter 4

**So I don't even remember the last time I updated this. I'm so sorry. I started this chapter awhile ago and decided to finish it today. So here we go :)**

**Disclaimer: No I do not own Glee or its characters. **

* * *

"So Rachel, where did you go off to last night? We thought you came back to the dorms because we couldn't find you," Emily said, eyeing Rachel from across the table.

The girls were currently sitting in the dining hall, nursing serious hangovers from the night before. Rachel sat next to Quinn, startled from her thoughts as she heard her name.

"I'm sorry?"

"You kinda disappeared last night. Where were you?"

"I just danced for a little while, mingled..." Rachel took a sip of her coffee hoping that the conversation would end there.

"Who did you dance with!" Quinn asked excitedly.

Rachel paused. "Jesse was very nice and asked me to dance." She held her breath and picked up her spoon, prodding at her untouched oatmeal.

"He did?"

"Um, yeah. I was sitting by myself on the couch when he walked up all of a sudden." Rachel took a chance and looked Quinn in the eye. She was surprised to see her smiling back at her.

"That was so sweet of him. Did he say anything about me when you were dancing?"

"Not that I remember." Seeing Quinn's smile falter a little, Rachel thought quickly. "But the music was really loud, Quinn. I wouldn't have been able to hear him anyway. Plus, we didn't dance for that long."

_Lie._

Quinn's eyes were cast down to her coffee, a slight pout to her lips.

Sarah reached for her hand. "Quinn, I'm sure he likes you. But like every boy here, he probably is hesitant to settle into a relationship so fast. We've only been here a few weeks. And trust me, the best thing you can do is play hard to get. That'll drawn him in." The girls giggled, and Rachel attempted a small smile.

"I guess your right," she sighs. "I just don't want some other girl to move in, you know? I mean, Jesse could probably have any girl here."

"Which is why you play hard to get! Be different from those other girls and act like he doesn't get you all hot and bothered," Emily piped in with a wink. "It'll drive him absolutely insane, and then he'll have to have you."

Quinn looked over to her best friend. "What do you think, Rach?"

Sarah and Emily looked over to Rachel as well, curious as to what the petite brunette thought of their idea. Usually Rachel thrived on having all attention on her, but this is just torturous. She feels as if the word 'Guilty' is stamped on her forehead. More than anything, she wants to admit that Jesse kissed her last night. Well...her neck anyway. But if she hadn't stopped it, Rachel was convinced it may have led to a real kiss. And she felt awful for almost wishing it had. But there was no way she would allow a boy to come between her relationship with Quinn. So pushing the matter of last night to the back of her mind, she felt it best to just agree with the others. Putting on a convincing smile, she says, "Go for it."

* * *

Rachel thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't seen Jesse around campus the following week. She effectively banished him from her mind, focusing on her classes and practice. But it was walking into a practice room one afternoon that caused everything to come tumbling down once again. She opened the door, expecting to see Lauren since she seemed to practice at this time. Rachel hoped to ask some questions and get some feedback. What she didn't expect was to see Jesse up on the stage.

Rachel felt her heart stop for a split second, then speed up to a fast pace. That smooth, beautiful voice echoing throughout the room belonged to Jesse. He was absolutely amazing. Her eyes growing wide, Rachel inhaled a sharp breath when Lauren's voice easily joined him. It seemed so effortless. Lauren's eyes meet her's and she gives a small wave, still holding a note to perfection. It seems Jesse hasn't noticed yet, for he continues putting everything he has into the song. Too soon for Rachel's liking, the duets ends, Lauren and Jesse both breathing heavily.

"Hey, Rachel! How are you, sweetie?" Lauren says, walking over. Rachel feels Jesse's eyes on her immediately. Avoiding eye contact, she smiles to Lauren.

"Hi! I'm doing well, how are you?" Out of the corner of her eye, she see's Jesse start to move toward them. She tries to ignore the quickening of her pulse.

"Pretty good." She smiles and motions behind her, "this is my good friend, Jesse St. James. We were just working on a duet for one of our classes."

"No need for introductions, Lauren. We already know each other." He smirks, easily throwing his arm around Lauren, but keeping his eyes on the brunette in front of him. Rachel blushes as Lauren looks back and forth between them and raises her eyebrows. "Oh."

"_N-Not_ like that" Rachel stutters out quickly, glaring furiously at Jesse. He starts to laugh and Lauren gently lays her hand on Rachel's arm.

"Ignore him. I always do." She swats Jesse in the side and he turns to go back to the stage. "So what's up? Are you practicing today?"

Rachel was thankful for the subject change. "Yes, but I was hoping to run into you. Mr. Davis isn't very satisfied with my part in a song we're singing in class and I'm having a little trouble. Do you think you could help me?"

"Of course! Is it okay if I help you on Monday though? My mom is visiting for the weekend and I'm supposed to be meeting her for lunch in 20 minutes."

"Oh, well, I actually have to perform this piece on Monday." Rachel waves her hand. "But no worries, have a great time with you mom."

"I'm sorry, Rachel. If it was any other time-"

"-Please, Lauren, it's perfectly fine. I thought I would just ask."

Lauren turned around to Jesse, his back to the girls while sifting through his folder open on the stage. "Jesse could help you. He would probably be a bigger help than me, actually."

Rachel quickly shook her head. "No. That's alright. It's fine, I-" Before she could finish, Lauren was calling for Jesse to come over.

"Jesse, Rachel needs some help on her song for class. Since I have to go meet my mom, I was thinking you could help her." Rachel crossed her fingers, hoping he had plans or didn't have the time.

"Of course. I'm always available to help a fellow star in the making." He smiles and Rachel feels her lips reluctantly pull at the corners.

"Great! Now, I have to run or my mother will berate my lack of time management." She gives Jesse a quick peck on the cheek and touches Rachel's shoulder before making her way through the door. Rachel looks back up to Jesse and bites her bottom lip. This isn't good.

* * *

"So I take it you deleted my number?"

Rachel gripped her folder tighter to her chest. She hated being in a room alone with Jesse, it made her extremely nervous. She walked past him towards the stage, ignoring the intoxicating smell of his cologne.

"For your information, I did not delete it," she threw over her shoulder.

Jesse grinned. This girl was infuriating and he loved it. "Could have fooled me. No text or anything all week? Did you not have fun at the party?"

Rachel walked up onto the stage, aware of Jesse right behind her. She turned around to face him, taken aback by his close proximity. She took a step back.

"It wasn't that I didn't have a good time, I've simply just had a lot to do."

He smiled slightly and let out a breathy laugh, "Okay, whatever you say, Berry."

Rachel nervously pushed her hair behind her ear and looked down to her sheet music. "So shall we get on with the song?"

"What is it?"

"It's Adele. Someone Like You. And I'm singing this verse," she points. Jesse moves to stand next to her and their shoulders touch. He stares down to the paper and eyes the lyrics.

"Okay. Let me hear how you've been singing it and I'll tell you what I think you should change." She follows him to the piano bench and folds her hands in her lap.

Jesse's fingers glide over the keys to warm up, glances up to the sheet music and plays the verse. Rachel watches his hands, fascinated. "You ready?"

She nods and takes a deep breath. "Ready."

They end up going through the verse multiple times, Jesse actually joining her every once in a while. The first time he does, Rachel is in awe at how they sound together. It's as if they were made to sing with each other and Rachel never wanted it to end.

After a 45 minutes of tweaking, she was singing her verse flawlessly. She and Jesse decided to run through the entire song before calling it a day. As they finish, their eyes meet and she has to remind herself to breathe. She vaguely hears him whisper, "That was really good." Rachel is aware that they are slowly leaning closer to each other, but she doesn't seem to care. His lips lightly brush hers, igniting a spark, when she pulls back fast.

Blinking furiously, Rachel gets up and grabs her folder. "Thank you for helping me, Jesse. I think Mr. Davis will be pleased with the improvement I've made." She starts to walk quickly down the stairs, her desire to get out of this room paramount.

"Rachel!" He's moving after her and feels him grab her hand. "Please. Just talk to me." He's looking at her with pleading eyes and she stops. "Why do you keep running away from me?"

"Jesse." She sighs his name, not knowing what to say. "I really like you, but we can't do this."

"We were just practicing, whats the big deal?"

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

He laughs. "Rachel, I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend. I just want to get to know each other better, hang out outside of the practice room."

She blushes furiously. "But we almost kissed..."

"So we were caught up in the moment." He shrugs. "It happens."

Rachel was surprised to feel a trickle of disappointment at what he says. "So your not looking for a relationship out of this?" She motions between them.

"Not particularly. But I like you and want to get to know you better." Rachel chews her bottom lip out of habit, and she notices Jesse's eyes move to her mouth.

He walks closer to her. "So...can we be friends? Or are you just trying to get rid of me all together?" He smiles and Rachel lets out a giggle.

She honestly doesn't know if she can be friends with him. Singing with him today makes her doubt it even more.

"Give me your phone." She holds out her hand, clamping down on her lips to prevent from smiling. He hands it over and gives her a curious glance. "I'm giving you my number, Jesse St. James."

"Are you going to ignore me if I text you?" He grins at her.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see." She turns to leave and can't help but sway her hips a little more than usual, knowing he's watching. "Bye, Jesse. Thanks again."


End file.
